There is no known mechanical apparatus enabling a human being to walk in a prone position, like a lizard, like a spider, close to the ground, using arms and legs as will be made possible with the Quadra Walker (QW) disclosed herein.
The invention includes new concepts in ski design for use with the QW. Traction positive skis provide wider access over a great diversity of landscapes.
Likewise, there is nothing resembling the QW for walking over water. The closest concept related thereto being an informal sketch by Leonardo Da Vinci showing a man walking on water in an upright position with the help of floats on his feet and floats at the end of hand-held poles, presumably for balance. There is no detail on the actual shape of the floats, nor any particular description thereof. Probably the floats were inflated hides with no provision for traction or for sliding motion on water.
Walking in a prone position, close to the ground, is a new concept which will afford human beings with a new travelling experience on open ground or through underbrush, through thick forests, climbing slopes or walking on water, and on the fields of competitive sports.
The QW enables a soldier to hug the ground while stealthily advancing over rocky tracts of land, under bushes and over protruding roots of trees, over sandy soil and over dry or damp, hot or cold field grounds. Instead of crawling or slithering on dirt while looking for a safe spot to hide, he can advance at a good pace, with clothes intact, jump over ditches, walk over obstacles, tread on water and cover long distances with much less effort.
The QW opens up a whole new dimension for sports as well. On the sports track the QW will be used in long distance running trials and all manner of speed and resistance competitions. Cross-country trials with a combination of land and water tracks will probably become a new category of competition made possible only with the QW.
Mountain climbing with the QW will open a new sports frontier with the use of four climbing limbs combined with the assistance of an energy source powering said limbs and the incorporation of traction-positive skis. The introduction of a mechanical hand placed at the front end of the front ski and prudently operated by the user, is a novel concept as well. Said mechanical hand is designed to grab and hold onto rocks, tree roots and other objects, providing the user with unprecedented anchorage during a steep climb.
The QW may even become the ideal equipment for rescue operations on steep mountainsides, mines and caves where other equipment cannot go. A QW with long limbs can lift and carry supplies underneath and/or even a human being on a stretcher.